BJP MLA Accuses Sharad Pawar of Deceiving Maratha Community Over Reservation

Former Maharashtra minister and BJP MLA Babanrao Lonikar criticized NCP chief Sharad Pawar for deceiving the Maratha community on the issue of reservation. Lonikar accused Pawar of undermining efforts to secure reservations through legal battles. He also likened Pawar to the shrewd 'Mahabharata' character 'Shakuni mama.'

In a party workers' meeting at Partur in Jalna district on Wednesday, former Maharashtra minister and BJP MLA Babanrao Lonikar lashed out at NCP chief Sharad Pawar, alleging that he deceived the Maratha community regarding the reservation issue.

Lonikar accused Pawar of sabotaging the quota efforts and branded him as 'Shakuni mama,' a cunning figure from the 'Mahabharata.' He argued that the BJP government's 2018 reservation for Marathas, quashed by the Supreme Court, was mishandled under the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray on Pawar's advice.

The Supreme Court in 2021 struck down the Maharashtra Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act, 2018. Meanwhile, Maratha activist Manoj Jarange is actively seeking OBC category inclusion for his community.

(With inputs from agencies.)